**********************************************************************************************

Hi, my name is Mandy. I have been HIV positive for the past 4 years. I caught HIV by making the biggest mistake of my life…getting a tattoo. I know what you’re thinking..you’re probably saying..”well she could have had sex and caught it.” That’s just not so..i am a virgin..and now i have to stay that way for the rest of my life. I’m not writing this story to scare any of you, i just don’t want any of you to have to go through what i went through. Well, im gonna tell you my story now. Here Goes.

The day i turned 20 is the day i wanted to do something that i always told myself i would never do… have lots a fun. I was a junior in college, and having the time of my life. Of course, i kept my head in the books, and steered clear of the guys that were there… but i had amazing friends. They were so daring.. not like any of the friends i ever had. One of my friends had her nipples pierced, her nose pierced, eyebrow, navel, and her hood pierced…along with 5 tattoos. I’m not saying i wanted to get a tattoo because my friends had them, i just wanted to get one so i can finally express myself through art. So, the day i turned 20 is the day i decided to get one done.

We all decided to go to this place where everybody said it was the best place to get a tattoo. They did them cheap.. mine cost $60 for a large, colorful cartoon girl (the ones that look like they could be on sailor moon or any of those japan cartoons) on my back. We got there, and the tattooist was finishing up this guy who was getting a snake tattooed on his forearm. When he was done, he told me the wait would be 30 minutes because he needed to prepare everything. I waited patiently, and listened to my friends making fun of some tattoos that they had there. So, finally it was finally my turn to go in.

The other tattooist had left because it was his break, so there was this other guy there…a freaky looking guy..with all these face piercings and tattoos all over his arms. He told me to sit in this chair and life my shirt over my head so he could get the placement right. He showed me the placement and i thought it looked fine, so he continued. He didn’t explain to me what he was gonna do..or how the needles were sterilized. I asked him about it, but he said there was no need to say anything, that everything i needed to know was on the form i had signed. So i said fuck it, and let him continue with his job. I must say…getting that tattoo hurt so bad. I swear to you, it felt like a huge butter knife was going through my back. I cried and screamed. The guy kept asking if i wanted him to finish it up, and i said yeah. When it was finally done (3 hrs later) he told me that he would only charge me $60. So i tipped him $40 and left with a very bloody, sore back. He told me to clean it with Neosporin, and after 5 days of that, rub some moisturizing lotion on it.

About 4 months later, i went to my regular doctors check up. I felt fine, but im always known to be “the cautious one” in my family. He took my blood, checked my eyes, my lungs, etc etc. Only a few days later, my doctor called me back and told me to come to his office ASAP. When i got there, he had a worried look on his face. I knew something was wrong. I asked him right away what was wrong. He told me that i tested positive for HIV. I was in total shocked. I asked him how this could have happened, because i haven’t had sex with anyone in my life. He explained the possibilities…and finally said that word…”needle”…….i totally broke down and started crying….i knew it had to be when i got my tattoo……

Well…i guess you’re probably asking…”then what??”… well..they investigated the place, and found out the place was extremely filthy, and the place might have infected about half the customers that went there, including me. The place got shut down, and yada yada yada (the place reopened 2 years later)

Well…..that’s my story. I hope that all of you that are reading be careful that you check out the places that you wanna get a tattoo. Don’t make the same mistake that i made. This tattoo ruined my life. Please be careful.

********************************************************************************************
I hope her story at least makes you think. If you contract a disease like HIV from a tattoo, getting it removed will not make it go away, however if there is an allergy or other skin irritation from tattoo ink then removing the tattoo may provide some relief or prevent a long-term condition.

Our repeated advice is for people to get educated and understand the risks and dangers of tattoo inks as well your tattoo removal options ranging from laser tattoo removal to tattoo removal creams.

Check out: The Tattoo Removal Cream Store and The Secret Dangers of Tattoo Inks.

Thereis always a risk involved with everything. Even with medicines and medical procedures, there is always a certain percentage that something wrong will happen or have a side effect tolerable or not. That is why people take calculated risks. In the same manner, getting a tattoo entails some risk. In the case of tattoo being used as permanent make-up, the procedure is called micro-pigmentation. The manufacture of inks or pigments used in tattooing isunder the watchful eye of the Food and Drug Administration. Since the practice of tattooing is not really as established as compared to make up products,there might still be loopholes and or lapses which the manufacturers of these pigments will exploit which will escape the watchful eye of the regulatoryagency like the food and drug administration.

Thefirst major risk in getting a tattoo is with regards to safety. There is reallyno guarantee yet that the pigments or inks used by certain tattoo artistspassed the strictest quality control so that it will not cause any allergies orunwanted side effects to human beings. Even though, there have been significantimprovements in how tattoo is done over the years there is still that risk ofgetting contaminated due to unsafe and unclean practices of a certain tattooartists. That is the very reason why you should carefully choose the tattooartist; get to know the safety policy and procedures of his or her tattooclinic. You should always insist on seeing that the needles which will be usedcome straight out of a sealed package. Needles should only be used once anddisposed of properly after single use. It is worth mentioning though thatmajority of tattoo artists do really put a premium on customer safety. Still,it is always wise to make sure.

Thesecond major risk is that your tattoo might become obsolete to you. There aremany reasons why a tattoo will lose its importance. Tattoos proclaiming loveand devotions often used the name or even the portrait of the person which isthe object of affection. When the relationship sours and ends, you are leftwith the tattoo which is a constant reminder of the failed relationship so thetattoo loses its importance to you. This is not to dissuade you from getting aname tattoo of your significant someone; it is just that the risk is certainlyhigher.

Anotherinherent risk is that a tattoo will fade over the years. What you can probablydo to lessen that risk is to properly care for your tattoo so that it willstill look vibrant for a long time.

To learn more about the risks of tattos and tattoo inks then out The Secret Dangers Of Tattoo Inks by clicking here. Or to find out how to fade or remove a tattoo on your own check out The Tattoo Removal Cream Store.